Road Test: Land Cruiser 200 VX 2016

Slick and modern in its design, the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 has done what so many of us have to and embraced urbanisation. I say this because the once bad boy of the Toyota family has dropped its ruggedness for flowing lines and urban appeal.

Thankfully it hasn’t lost any of its wanderlust characteristics, because while the land Cruiser has embraced city living, its adventurous undertones are still very much embodied in this Toyota.

Admittedly this is a vehicle for a particular customer. It’s either you love it or you hate it persona is what makes this SUV what it is. But no matter how you feel about the Land Cruiser, one thing is for certain, you can’t ignore its on the road presence.

The larger than life character does make it cumbersome to drive in the city. Like a bull in a China shop, or trying to control King Kong in the streets of New York, this car is massive. With the ever shrinking parking spaces and tight streets you have to know what you are doing to venture into the urban sprawls.

Of course with such size, comes great power and pushing the Land Cruiser 200 along is the famed 4.5-litre turbo-diesel powertrain. With credentials of 173kW of power and 615Nm of torque, the surge of power, is well… adequate to put it mildly. It’s strong on pull-off and gets up to speed at a decent pace.

That said, it does loft along on the highway and a slight bend in the road will leave you feeling unsettled. To be fair however, the Toyota is best suited for the gravelly stuff.

A short stint on the dirt road highlights that the Land Cruiser 200 hasn’t forgotten its roots. With an impressive list of off-road credentials like hill descent control, multi-terrain select, crawl control (all standard) and on our top spec test car, the VX, also boasts Park Distance Control to name but a few.

While the list of driver’s aid tech is impressive, how the Land Cruiser transports you is worth mentioning. The interior is well kitted out for adventure, with a centre console cooler, cup holders galore as well as climate control and the ever handy navigation system.

The layout is fantastic, with an abundance of space it can transport all occupants in comfort and even the third row of seats offers decent legroom. From a driver’s perspective, it’s easy to find a comfortable and commanding driving position thanks to the electronically adjustable seat.

It’s been awhile since I have driven such an enormous vehicle and I will say that Toyota have improved on the Land Cruiser of eras gone by. It hasn’t lost any of its sure-footedness and the renowned Toyota reliability still feels as present as ever.

My only concern with the massive Land Cruiser 200 is that you get a sense that it might suffer from a mild case of personality disorder. The Land Cruiser is like the Marlboro man, rugged and capable. Now imagine, the Marlboro man wearing a suit – he just lost some of that rugged manliness didn’t he? And that’s what it feels is happening to the LC.